Stage one of an 11.6 kilometre cycleway in Lismore is under construction and expected to be completed by May next year.
Stage one, which is costing $1.1 million, is part of a three-stage project that will run from Richmond Hill Road right down to the central business district.
The project will include a mix of widened footpaths to accommodate cyclists as well as new off-road and on-road cycleways.
It would connect the elevated suburbs of Richmond Hill, Goonellabah and Lismore Heights to Lismore’s CBD and provide missing links and new connections to a number of locations including Southern Cross University, TAFE, schools, commercial/retail areas, aged care facilities and recreational facilities.
The final destination of the shared path and cycleway is the Lismore Transit Centre, which is the main hub of public transportation in Lismore.
The Lismore Transit Centre includes showers, public toilets and lockers and would be a place where cyclists can safely store and lock their bicycles.
Lismore City Council’s assets engineer Anthony Magarry said the $1.1million funding from the state government was ‘fantastic news’.
The money will be used to construct stage one, which will run from Ross Street in Lismore Heights to the Lismore Transit Centre. The other two stages are yet to be funded.
‘The program aims to provide more convenient and safer infrastructure for cyclists and pedestrians,’ Mr Magarry said.
‘This funding will support the growing number of people who are walking and cycling.
‘This initiative promotes a more sustainable transport option for the community and encourages active lifestyle choices.’
Work on the project began in October.
The council hopes to complete Stage 1 of the project by May 2017.
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